


Body of Mine

by Zephex



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Angst, BL, Ben Tennyson has mental breakdowns, Ben is Gay, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eon is NOT Ben's future self in this fic, Eon is still a creep, Kevin is Bisexual, Kevin is less of a jerk, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Overprotective Gwen, Past Child Abuse, Sequel to "Steal Me Now Steal Me Forever", Teen Angst, Temporary Amnesia, ben needs a hug, past trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 19:39:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10445889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephex/pseuds/Zephex
Summary: Sequel to"Steal Me Now,Steal Me Forever". Ben, suffering insomnia as of late, tries to cope with nightmares and rising anxiety toward something he can't understand...or has forgotten. Gwen's on edge, Kevin wants answers and something foul is looming. What happens when suppressed memories surface and Ben's in danger? KevinxBen, one-sided EonxBen.





	1. Years Ago

Click.

One more night lost.

4:59 AM.

And another rotation of the abrupt awakeness that came along an unaffected time, daily.

Ben shakily wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling suffocated and cold all the same. His covers lay twisted and kicked at the end of his bed, half spilling onto the flooring; his pillow underside his computer desk.

 _The nightmares again_ …

Moist palms clutched his underdeveloped triceps, mind racing, trying to make sense of the blurred images that had so affected him, bringing chills to his skin.

 _I can't remember…what happened_.

That was the worst of it all. Ben never could remember what the nightmares he'd suffered were about after rousing. His brain proffered only disjointed glimpses and sensations that lacked any apparent meaning, yet still left his heart racing as though his wellbeing was threatened by that same elusive relevance. Almost like he'd forgotten something important.

He felt sluggish.

Could he not—as any normal sixteen-year-old— _sleep_ in? Or even sleep for that matter?

Evidently, no.

Outside his window was murky; the sky yet in its nightly state. He sat on the edge of the mattress for a while, feeling lost before a yawn parted his lips and he pointedly buffed the wooziness from his eyes. Not that it'd benefit him greatly. He wouldn't succeed much in expunging the fluffy imprint from his head: that light, airy sensation one gets when sleep is no more than a remote notion, not wholly unlike the onset of a headache which in fact has no treatment.

Who ever heard of a sixteen-year-old sleeping in during summer? Ludicrous.

The closet never seemed so far away as it did now. Those few feet he'd otherwise span ably now appeared the vastness of a mile. Ben scrunched his nose in discomfort when the effort of standing and walking left him breathless. He was exhausted. So exhausted, in fact, that the small sum of work he'd just achieved left his heart thrashing wildly against his breastbone. He peered down. He could plainly see his chest pulsing. A sigh escaped him.

The notion of a cold shower to wake him up was considered, but at that moment, Ben felt he hadn't the verve to suffer through one. Lethargy was scarcely the case. The brunette leaned inelegantly against the frame of his closet, blankly gazing in. Nope. Not lazy in the least. Simply tired, nonplussed, and still reasonably off-put by the nightmare.

Pale arms fitted their way into a loose-fitting hoodie; his head popped out the top hole and he had the inconceivable urge to yell "Boo!"

A part of him vaguely toyed with the idea of his dodging of the real issues at hand. The visions beneath his closed eyes and the lacking retention of them… His mindless impulses hardly served to assert their inexistence, but Ben couldn't resist the lure of distraction.

God his head hurt.

He brushed his teeth, emptied Mother Nature and found a pair of jeans balled up on his swivel chair. Beryl eyes fixed on the clock. Seventeen after.

Early bird gets the worm.

Ew.

Forget the worm. All Ben wanted was a nice bowl of cereal. Not that he was hungry—he wasn't—but the mere thought of the simple yet satisfying breakfast had him buzzing.

Froot Loops was his current obsession. It'd been some time since he'd sought anything hearty. Somehow, the notion of a traditional morning meal ceased to sit well in the wake of his nights. Inadvertently dropping a jean size hadn't even fazed him.

The boy moseyed his way to the kitchen and stared into the pantry for a good five minutes. Darn that fluffiness and the way it marred his focus. The box was half full. He'd have to remember to buy some more before he ran out…distractions.

When was the last time he'd slept past five? In fact, when was the last time he'd had a good night's sleep, period?

He pulled out the milk and some utensils.

Was he right to mention his nightmares to Kevin instead of Gwen? Sure, his red-haired cousin was better suited for advice when it came to such things, but he really didn't feel like telling her. She'd freaked out when he'd suffered a random faint during one of their late-night patrols some three weeks ago. It was so sudden. One moment he was fine, the next a wave of dizziness hit him so hard he saw white.

He bit his lip, torn by his anarchic musings and festering anxiety. The tiny clinks of colored loops entertained him only slightly. He dumped the milk in and proceeded to inhale his concoction. Nobody liked soggy cereal.

Ben was interested as to why he'd even told the osmosian about the episodes, even if it was a brief reveal. Perhaps he simply needed vent. Every night plagued him like disease would a rotting possum on the street side.

He remembered now: the night of his faint, as Kevin drove him home he'd disclosed the nightmares, the sleeplessness. Gwen was safely tucked away at her house—albeit, with much difficulty—so the pressure of her incessant prying was naught. Kevin hadn't even uttered his question when Ben let loose.

\----------

_His pale face had been pressed against the glass of the passenger side window, vision cast outward at the rolling landscape. Leviathan eyes never once looked toward the driver; he was yet intimidated and the nightmares loomed in the darkness above them. His dreams held little detail and even less understanding, simply congested blobs of shapes and sounds and obscured landscapes; even so he could not fathom the horror, the panic suffered with each episode or from where such phobia's birthed. Ben's hands shook as he recounted the incidents to his closest friend, who listened quietly beside him. Still, no tears fell, and silence intruded the drive once more._

_Relief, if only some, had bathed the brunette as the words settled in the air. There was nothing any of them could do about it. Ben knew this. He'd simply have to cope for the duration of it all_.

 _The hum of the car had him almost out when Kevin unexpectedly asked if Ben wanted to spend the night at his house. Mechanically, Ben had turned to stare at his friend; Kevin had rolled to a stop at a corner and met the look with stern eyes. A moment, and the brunette's face had split into a smile. In some small way, that gesture clarified why the younger boy had deemed it appropriate to tell Kevin. That night, he recalled, was one where sleep had graced him with only mild visions_.

\----------

Setting his spoon down, he lifted the bowl to his lips and gulped down the remaining milk. He held no regret for his actions as of yet. Ideally, he hoped no adverse repercussions would develop as a result, but this dilemma was still new to him and so long as nothing new materialized, he wanted to keep it on the down-low. Part of him, despite how pitifully miniscule it was, maintained hope for a solution, a cure or end.

He scanned the clock.

Twenty-seven after.

"I've got to get outta here..." he muttered, replacing the dairy and cereal box in their respective homes. After stuffing his feet into his sneakers and seizing the keys dangling by the front door, he left.

Briefly after, the bowl left abandoned on the tabletop shuddered, sliding four inches to the edge where it fell and shattered on the tile floor.

\----------

"What do you mean 'Ben's not home'?" Kevin drawled through the cell phone pinched between his ear and shoulder, hands busy filling his beloved car with power steering fluid.

" _I mean Ben's not at his house!_ " came the exasperated cry through the line.

"So…what's the big deal?"

" _Kevin, it's eight in the morning! Do you expect me to believe he voluntarily woke up early and left?!_ " Gwen snapped, heaving a sigh, he heard, of most likely frustration.

The seventeen-year-old screwed the cap back on, shut the hood of his car and tossed the empty bottle. "Listen," he tried, switching his cell to his other ear, "Ben's not a baby. He probably had some mad craving for a smoothie or something and left."

" _His car is still here_."

"So he walked, or flew. You do know he has the Omnitrix stuck on his wrist. Did you call him?"

" _He's not answering_."

"Come on, Gwen, it's not like he's gonna get floored by some creeper—,"

" _KEVIN!_ "

"Okay! Okay!" he amended, hands rising in submission as if the red-head could see. "I'll go find him and meet up with you."

" _Thirty minutes_."

"At the pier, with the details of the mission explained to short-stuff. Got it."

" _Good_." Click. Dial tone.

He sighed before shutting his own cell, running his fingers through his hair and shaking his head. Why did Ben have to be such an idiot?

Popping open the driver side door, he fell into the driver's seat. The engine roared, a car door slammed and rubber bled on the pavement as he peeled out the driveway. Producing his Plumber's badge, Kevin tracked the Omnitrix's signal, distantly pondering why it hadn't occurred to Gwen to simply track Ben through his mana. Clearly she wasn't in the right state of mind.

The teen didn't question the destination. It wasn't like him to care much for the whereabouts of others. It was the motive behind the location that was of great interest to him. Prior knowledge of Ben's distresses had the seventeen-year-old anxious that something else was aloof. If anything, Gwen's overprotectiveness toward the boy made things all the more suspicious. Gwen was hiding something, something not all that irrelevant to what Ben was undergoing—so it seemed to Kevin. Regrettably for her, she was not the best at hiding things; Ben was simply—most often—inept to such dissimilarities. Credit given to the boy, he did have a lot on his plate.

After some time, Kevin found himself next the threshold of a forest, somewhere near the outreaching's of Bellwood. His brows dropped in frustration. The signal was coming from the shallow innards of the wood which, to his dissatisfaction, his car could not traverse. A frustrated sigh escaped him. If things could be any odder…

Fog still cleaved to the ground in doleful wisps, unrelenting despite the slanting sun riddling through the branches. The temperature was much cooler as Kevin entered the welter of foliage and brush; a welcome acquittal from the mid-morning heat.

His badge flashed in a strobe-like manner as he neared a clearing. Cautiously skirting a rotting tree, which rested profoundly—and precariously—on a neighboring oak, he found Ben lying sprawled on the dirt-patched ground. "Ben?" he called as he stepped closer. Inquiry reflected in his dark eyes.

Ben jerked, startled, before his head tipped back to gaze at the osmosian. His face glistened with sweat, flushed from the sun streaming down on him. His hand brushed back the sopping locks of hair adhering to his forehead. A sheepish grin stirred his lips. It was a wonder he'd not suffered heatstroke wearing that jacket of his. "Hey Kevin."

"Don't 'hey Kevin' me," the older teen said harshly. "Gwen's on the verge of a meltdown. You weren't answering your phone."

The brunette's mouth formed a small "O" as he registered the fact. "I forgot it." _I don't think I even wanted it_ …

"Clearly."

Ben sat up, glancing around the clearing before rotating his eyes to Kevin, remarking, "It's hot," and fanning himself with a hand for emphasis. Kevin resisted the urge to snort derisively, and crossed his arms.

"Mind telling me what the heck you're doing…wherever here is? Don't say you're bird watching either because I'm not buying that crap." Kevin advanced a bit. It was still morning, but the sun was brutal. His skin was beginning to prickle with perspiration in the exposure of the glade.

Ben smiled wanly before casting his gaze about once more. "I had a dream about this place." His voice was easy, almost sad, but thoughtful. "It feels…familiar somehow."

A preexistent trickle of anxiety grew in flow within Kevin; he remained quiet, trusting Ben would articulate when ready.

True to his assumption, the brunette stood, scrubbed the dirt from his attire and touched his temple, stating, "I feel like something really…significant happened here. I just can't remember what." He sighed, dropping his hand. "I don't even know if anything _actually_ happened or if I'm just loosing it." Chartreuse eyes trained on Kevin; a distressed smile pulled at his lips. The dark circles beneath his eyes appeared weightier in the shades of the casted sunlight.

Noiseless but candid, an unspoken message charged betwixt them: a pact of secrecy for the time being. The younger boy visibly relaxed when the elder nodded consent and turned about. Ben waited a moment, casting one final look at the clearing before trotting in suit to the other.


	2. Little by Little

It was hardly a surprise to find Gwen perched atop one of thousands of crates spattered across the pier with her arms crossed and a frown set athwart her lacquered lips. Both boys visibly slowed, hoping to delay the heat they would surely face, predominantly Ben.

"I think I have a sixth sense. It's telling me not to go near Gwen." Ben stared straight ahead, eyes wide and viewing his cousin with dread.

Kevin snorted slightly as he whispered back, "You could bail."

"No, no," Ben shook his head quickly. "She'd come after me. Ugh…I'm so in for it…"

"What color flowers would you like?" At that, the osmosian received a glare. "What?" he smirked, shrugging his shoulders.

" _Benjamin Kirby Tennyson!_ "

"White. White ones are fine," Ben muttered swiftly, flinching and ducking his head at the yell. He could find no way to make himself look pitiful enough so she'd have mercy.

Gwen watched as the two boys stopped feet from her post. She was beyond furious. "Where _were_ you?" she snapped, leering down at her cousin. She'd been worried! How many horrible things had crossed her mind when Ben was nowhere to be found? Too many to count. If it'd been any other situation, perhaps one more like what he'd do, then things wouldn't have been so bad. The problem was: Ben was no morning person. Getting him out of bed required the Jaws of Life…or a smoothie. Still, Gwen did not like what had happened. Especially not when _that day_ was so near…

Ben passed a hand through his drying hair, his face still pink from the sun. "I got nothing."

The ginger descended from the crate on a plate of mana and approached her cousin. Her lips pinched together in a thin line. "Ben," she said, jabbing him with her finger in the chest, "this is so not funny. I was really worried! What were you doing out so early? You practically gave me a _heart attack!_ I ought to punch you for this…"

She looked him in the eyes, seeking answer. Hardly could she contain the rage, the fear that swathed her. Her nails dug painfully into her palm and it took far too much effort to unclench her fists than should have. She inhaled sharply, but just as she was about to reprimand him some more she caught sight of the dark circles beneath his eyes—ashen frames akin almost to bruises. Her jaw slackened and for a brief instant she saw white: a white room, a white bed, and a still form atop while a heart monitor chipped away at her sanity with compunction… "What—"

"Sorry, Gwen," the brunette cut her off, lightly grasping her outstretched hand before it touched his face. "I got caught up playing videogames all night and then my friend called and told me about this new Sumo Slammers game that's coming out next month." He turned his head slightly were his eye to twitch, betraying him. "I wanted to pre-order it so I went to the store but turns out I can't do that until next Tuesday…" It was a pathetic lie, but he gave himself praise for how swiftly he formed it. Not that the story in its entirety was untrue; there was a new S.S. game coming out and he _had_ checked in on it, but that had been the previous week. Ben didn't want Gwen to worry about him. She'd been like this for years—overprotective—but for some reason he felt the intensity of it was more so lately.

That sort of worry put him on edge, though, he didn't really know why.

The girl paused for a moment, hesitant of her next move. That was definitely unanticipated. Selfishly, she was in some way relieved—the part of her that coveted his wellbeing—but something was not fully right with his alibi; her mind, however, had yet to grasp what exactly it was. Nevertheless, she pushed it aside for the time being, setting the two boys with an austere glower, driving it home her misgivings of their candor.

Ben fidgeted against the look, trying not to let the strange feeling he picked up from her freak him out. He felt exhausted when she finally mumbled a suspicious "Okay…if you say so." Shoulders slumping from released tension, he discreetly wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. _I seriously need to get some sleep_ …

She sighed, then sucked in a breath and said, "Don't think I'm going to forget this." Her finger pushed against the younger boy once more before she turned away. Ben could hardly veil the relief he felt and smiled, only to wipe it swiftly away as the girl swiveled around and looked over toward Kevin. "You, me? We have some things to discuss…" she injected as an afterthought.

The elder paled. "What? Why?" he groaned rancorously, not wanting to "discuss" anything with Gwen. Hell, he and she were yet on natural terms after their not-so-pleasant break-up. Miracle it was that they'd put aside their differences for the sake of the team—although, this in no way meant they had to like it.

Admittedly, half of him was over it; dumb-ass fight over dumb-ass reasons. All the same, he wasn't so high-and-mighty that he'd absolved her wholly. If anyone was pro at tirade-hissy-fits, it was Gwen; but, seriously, someone as controlling and nit-picky as she was grand a step from perfect. Kevin exhaled indignantly, straightening up and crossing his arms—an obvious testament it was not something he looked forward to. Kevin stifled a sneer as he abruptly recalled the nonsensical tiffs that lead to the fallout. He was certainly _not_ obsessed with his car, definitely _didn't_ have a get-rich quick fixation, and he was absolutely _not_ a heartless jerk…most of the time… An acrid tang made home on his tongue, intensifying his scowl.

Ben grasped his shoulder, digging his fingers into the muscled flesh, mercifully drawing the teen from his issues. Kevin lightly nodded in thanks; Ben must've gone through hell and back listening to the two of them. Gwen undoubtedly had vented to the brunette, as he had. The kid must have nerves of steel if he was able to deal with them both. A glimmer of respect for him budded within Kevin.

Then Ben curtly dropped his hand and pushed it up his hoodie, laboring to rub his back. "Ugh…I think I got some dirt in my clothes. It itches." His tongue peeked out as he scratched. Pausing, he glanced at the older boy and proceeded to lift his jacket, exposing his back to Kevin, asking, "Can you help me? I can't reach it all…"

There went the respect.

"No."

"But Kevin-"

"You're funny, Tennyson," the older chuckled following Gwen as she made her way toward a moored ship.

"I'm serious Kevin!" Ben whined, trotting after the ex-con, hand still thrust up his garments.

\--------------------

"Please stop doing that."

"What? I can't help it."

"You remind me of some bear on Animal Planet. It's ridiculous."

"Huh! Don't care. You wouldn't help me…so I took matters into my own hands and _oh~_ does that hit the spot!"

Gwen and Kevin watched embarrassedly as Ben rubbed his back against the edge of huge oblong container set on the edge of the pier near the ship. To both teen's horror, the boy mewled happily as he slid his spine down against the metal, slightly shifting side-to-side so that the prickling could be soothed.

The three were waiting for a Plumber by the name of Rhephen; supposedly she had information on some anomalous incidents in the towns neighboring Bellwood. Normally there would be Plumbers present to look into the matter, but many across the continent had been recruited into a massive reconstruction effort of a secret intergalactic communication facility in Ohio after it was virtually decimated in a recent invasion. Seeing as how the three teens were coincidentally near to the manifestations and not otherwise occupied, they were asked to handle the matter.

Gwen sighted the decent of a small one-man vessel and proceeded to swat Ben's shoulder. "Stop it. The informant is here."

"Ouch! That hurt 'ya know." Ben complained, rubbing his shoulder.

"Don't be such a sissy," she quipped.

"I'm not," he countered. "You just seriously pack some strength in those arms. Should I be worried my girl cousin might be stronger than me? So not cool…"

The brunette felt a hand ruffle his hair. "Benji, who _isn't_ stronger than you?" Kevin joked. His intrusive hand was smacked away.

"Ha. Ha. I can totally hold my own in a fight."

"Yeah, when you go alien. As for good 'ol human Ben…there's a lot to be desired," the ex-con stated, gesturing at the other's petite build.

Ben gaped in a mixture of embarrassment and offense. "You wanna bet?" the sixteen-year-old snapped, leaning toward the osmosian threateningly.

Kevin sneered, cracking his knuckles and said, "Sure, why not? I've been itching to try this. Won't be much of a challenge, though."

"Why you—!"

"Hopefully I'm not interrupting anything."

Both boys froze and wheeled around to the smiling face of their informant. Black curls framed chocolate skin and round, brown eyes; she was fairly tall, curved, but thin and her smile was endearing.

"You must be Rhephen!" Gwen started, walking over and shaking her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, I'm Gwen. Sorry about these two idiots…"

The Plumber shook her head. "No, no, it's alright. I don't mind. I grew up with three brothers; trust me, I know your pain." At this, the two girls shared a laugh at the boy's expense; Ben and Kevin stepped away from one another and tried to compose themselves. "I didn't mean to offend you two," she finally apologized, facing the two, her accented voice hinting to her Hispanic background.

"None taken," Ben answered, shooting a side glance at the older male before his eyes pinned on Rhephen. "What's the news?"

The pleasant smile on Rhephen's face faltered slightly. Fishing into the bag at her hip, she produced a tablet which Gwen reached out and took. "The complaints have gotten more and more frequent. Vehicles and machinery corroding and turning to dust in seconds, Plumber members being attacked by strange creatures yet to be identified, you name it." The two teens gathered around the tablet as Gwen pulled up the map indicating the locations of the events, all of which seemed to surround Bellwood. "There were three separate occurrences where the Plumber database was hacked into. Some information was taken, regrettably."

"I'm guessing those 'creatures' you mentioned were the culprits?" Kevin asked flatly, eyes fixated on the screen.

"Yes."

The red-headed anodite considered this for a moment, feeling off-put. "What sort of information was leaked?" Her hand flicked on the screen to display the incident reports.

The informant shifted slightly, gaze shifting toward the Omnitrix bearer. "It…was mostly about Ben."

Both Tennyson cousins snapped up at the comment. Ben's brows pulled together in confusion. " _Me?_ " Rhephen nodded.

"The majority. Some of it was also on Gwen, general information and such, and a little on Max Tennyson; location status for both."

Gwendolyn felt her heart beat thickly beneath her breast.

"So, whoever is behind all these bizarre activities is keeping tabs on Ben, Gwen, and Max," Kevin stated, noting how the ginger had abruptly stilled, eyes wide. "Any clue who it could be? I mean, there are plenty of thugs that got beef with Ben."

"No idea. Max Tennyson is, ironically, the best person to ask, but we all know he's on Khoros at the moment." Rhephen sighed, brushing aside her hair before concluding. "In any case, the task to investigate these anomalies is set on you three. Considering data on two of you has been leaked, we spared a small team of Plumbers to be ready at call should you encounter something beyond your ability to handle." As a second thought, she extended a gloved hand before her, palm up, to expose a miniature chip inserted in the wrist of her glove. She slid the thumb of her other hand over the chip and two small beams shot out into Ben's Ultimatrix and Kevin's Plumber badge. "Our badges are now linked. You can contact me if you need help, too." She handed Gwen a small ring. "My eldest brother gave it to me before he went into the army. You can keep it for now, and give it back later. Gives us a reason to hang out." Rhephen smiled sweetly, her eyes twinkling beautifully as she stepped back.

"Thank you, Rhephen," Gwen said distractedly, attention torn between her fears and her apparently new friend. "I'll keep it safe until we meet again."

"Good. Be careful. All of you," she called as she boarded her vessel once more.

The three teens waved goodbye as the aircraft severed ties with the earth and blended with the atmosphere. Ben dropped his hand and turned to his friends, a smile curving his lips upward.

"Well, that was somewhat awkward, but cool," he chirped, linking his hands behind his head and strolling leisurely in the direction of Kevin's car as though nothing in the world concerned him. "Who's up for a smoothie?"

A sharp exhale met his ears causing him to look back briefly and see Gwen's reddened face; he paused, smile faltering.

"I can't believe you're so carefree about this!" she fumed, throwing her hand past her. "Whatever is behind all these proceedings wanted information on _you_ , Ben! Doesn't that bother you in the least?"

The brunette turned all the way to face her. "Um, not really, no. Like Kevin said before, there are practically hundreds of aliens and humans alike that hate my guts; any of them would want intel on me." He shifted his weight and set his hands on his hips, eyeing her oddly. "Anyway, whoever it is, they got data on you and grandpa, too, so what's the big deal?"

She ground her teeth, eyes flashing in frustration. How could he be so carefree about this? Had he no concern for his wellbeing in the least? Adrenalin pulsed into her bloodstream thickly.

…A white room, white bed. The never-ending tick of the clock eating away at her. There was the shaking hand that she'd found beneath the covers and grasped tightly within her own…the tears that flowed over bruised flesh and the smile in damaged ignorance…

An overwhelming sensation of horror gripped her, wringing her restraint until the pitiful girl she was bled out. It was happening all over again it seemed. Six years from hell and now, no matter how much she'd dreaded it and taken precautionary measures, it was starting _all over again_.

 _He_ had found Ben…

 _He_ had found them all…

And the brunette neither knew nor cared about any of it.

" _He knows where you are, Ben!_ " She screeched unthinkingly, gasping in a mixture of fear, rage, and regret.

Ben jerked at the sudden outpouring, actually taking a slight step back in his shock. Kevin stared in questioning awe at the ginger. His previous notions of Gwen holding secrets arose once more, purely confirmed, only now he felt compelled to act on it.

"W-What…" Ben stuttered, somehow unsure how to respond. He couldn't understand the sudden spite from his cousin; it actually scared him a little. She was always so calm, collected. Ever since he was younger he knew he could depend on her for sensible advice and calm reason…but recently that hadn't been the case; she had _changed_. Only now was Ben starting to see how much of that change had really come about in her. "What are you talking about?" He moved to touch her when Kevin's large hand on his chest restrained his proceeding.

"Go home, Ben," was all Kevin offered, obsidian eyes pinning Gwen where she stood.

When the brunette made no move to leave, the elder male tensed his arm and shoved the boy back. Ben stumbled backward, almost tripping over himself; his wide eyes locked on Kevin, confusion and slight hurt morphing his face. "Kev—"

" _Leave!_ " the osmosian hissed, snapping his head back to leer at the other.

The word had an immediate effect. Ben flinched away, taking yet another step back, and presented an amalgamation of resentment and offense with the contortions of his face. A brief moment later, his expression fell into an embittered scowl. "…Whatever," he spat, indignant. He was obviously not wanted. The boy turned on his heel and stalked away only to be engulfed in a wash of green luminance before the familiar form of Jetray tore into the sky in a flurry.

The tiniest amount of guilt nipped at Kevin; it wasn't as if he'd wanted to cause the younger male hurt, but he knew nothing would be gained from Gwen if her cousin was nearby. Clearly, whatever she was hiding was directly related to Ben, as if her actions and words weren't apparent enough. The ex-con turned to face her, mouth curving downward as brief memories of their break-up played like a crappy film in the back of his skull. Stifling a sneer, he crossed his arms and asked, "Mind telling me what the hell that was about?"

Her green eyes met his—a green so like that of Ben's, but somehow duller, flat like a forest hue. "I…I don't have anything to say to you," she remarked cagily, waving a hand in the air to dismiss him as she shifted away. A powerful hand caught her wrist before she could make her escape; she glowered. "Let me go."

"Not until you tell me what you're hiding."

She faltered slightly, then ripped her hand from his grip. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, masking the nervousness she felt.

"You're just as bad a liar as Ben," he sighed, crossing his arms above his chest. "You may have him fooled, but I'm not an idiot."

"Really? I'm pretty sure you have idiot engraved on your forehead."

"I'm serious, Gwen. You know something about whatever is happening here. Ben is part of it, isn't he?"

Gwen let out an involuntary gasp. "How…?"

Kevin shook his head slowly, remarking, "Lemme see, you've recently gone all mother-hen with him, you freaked out, _big time_ , when he fainted three weeks ago and just now you practically bit his face off because you're afraid of _someone_ knowing where he is. So tell me, Gwen, who were you talking about?"

The teen was taken by surprise when tears dribbled down the red-head's cheeks. Just as swiftly as they'd fallen, though, she furiously rubbed her face of them; her shoulders trembled a tad. "Stay out of this, Kevin. Just…mind your own stupid business." She once more turned her angry gaze toward him. Her voice dipped foul. "Go play with your car some more, I'm sure there's another alien toy you can equip it with. That's all you ever cared about anyway. You have nothing to do with thi—"

"You have got to be _shitting_ me!" Kevin roared all of a sudden, cutting her off. His muscles tensed in rage, fists shaking, his expression almost murderous. "You think you're the only one who gives a damn about that dwarf-sized moron?" She backed away, startled; eyes pooling. "He's my fucking friend, Gwen!" Kevin went on yelling, letting loose the pent up frustration. "My _best_ friend! He's the only reason I even put up with you after what happened so don't you dare tell me I have nothing to do with this." The teen was breathing profusely, deeply and rapid, like a bull prepped to snap.

Immediately Gwen felt ashamed. Angry as she was with his insult to their past issues, she had to acknowledge the fact that Ben was the sole person to have broken through the osmosian's outer shell. Kevin had so long dreamed of becoming a Plumber, just as his father had been, and Ben had encouraged and motivated him to do so. He'd given Kevin the opportunity to seize that lofty vision and, along the way, cultivated a deep bond between the two.

The elder of the two faced away for a few brief moments, regaining his lost composure and managing to quell the shaking of his fists.

"You're right…" came a soft account, bidding Kevin to look back at the sixteen-year-old girl. She wiped her face once more, removing any fecund moisture, and sighed bitterly. "It was stupid of me to think I could handle this on my own. All I was doing was putting Ben at more risk…I can't do that anymore." Her flat, olive irises locked with his own amethyst gaze. "I'll tell you, Kevin. All of it…"

\--------------------

His ragged breaths were accompanied by involuntary mewls of distress as his back arched in a painful angle. Sweat glistened on his brow which creased in all-encompassing discomfort. A hand lashed out and struck the wall, sliding to and fro with nails clawing when a cry tore from his lips.

"STO-OP!" Ben screeched, jolting upright on his mattress, his toxic eyes huge and staring at the ceiling above his head. His mouth remained agape with breath after breath scraping his esophagus like sandpaper. The bed around him stood in disarray; a betrayal of his night terrors.

The brunette finally let his eyes shut, leaning back on his straightened arms; his legs lay stretched out before him, trembling slightly. He inclined back further, tilting his head onto his shoulder.

"What the heck was…that…?" he whispered, feeling the residual impression of disquiet melt from his stiff body. He was hard-pressed to recall exactly what it was that had morphed his sleep into the lurid nightmare he now recovered from, but, while inveterate were his nightly episodes, this particular vision was much more… tangible…than the rest.

He vaguely recalled a figure that had descended on him and how it's hot breath swathed his neck bringing with it a deep sound so laced with want and loathing. But memory felt need to wipe its fingers upon wet paint and he no longer could extricate what he'd actually seen or mistakenly constructed. He sighed, feeling lost and foolish from it all.

Some juice would do him well right about now.

Slowly, his eyelids parted, emerald eyes yet upward in gaze…and the dark shadow on the once empty ceiling became evident to him.

A sick, cold horror struck him still. Liquid lead seemed to ooze through every cell in his limbs, paralyzing him. Ben could only stare in accruing panic at the figure latched to the ceiling above him.

It was watching him…

His vision blurred for a moment and when it renewed, the shadow had materialized atop him, face millimeters from his own. His legs felt pinned under a massive weight.

It was smiling…

Rigidly, the boy felt himself arching his back more and more, body struggling to distance itself from the object of its dread. Tears dribbled over Ben's eyes, noxious and massive as they watched the shadowed form bow over him, giggling as though nothing in the world could beget more mirth than Ben's unconstrained dread.

Just as the boy's body reached its limit in motion, his heart all but dead in his chest, did the creature's maw part indiscernibly, uttering in a coarse, yawning tone to him.

" _Peek-a-boo, Benjamin Tennyson…I **found** you_."

Ben detonated in hysteria. His right fist thrust before him—striking air—a blood-curdling wail rupturing from his throat; panic overcame all coherencies. His once palsied limbs thrashed furiously, taking no note of what they clouted in the process. Sobs interjected the cries in the instances of his rutted gasps and when finally, with prolonged time, his hysterics quelled in slight, did some of his senses come about.

Ben found himself on the floor of his room, huddled into himself and pressed up against the corner opposite to where he'd been erstwhile. He spotted abrasions on the walls bordering his sleeping arrangements which were, at that moment, utterly chaotic and noted the many objects that'd been strewn or flung about in his frenzy.

His body was vibrating; shock and adrenalin still pumping in his blood. He couldn't recall his fist ever making contact with anything tangible—part of him considered the likeliness of a nightmare gone physical—but the fear he'd felt still had his eyes sliding to and fro, wide and draining tears.

Shaking hands cupped his ears. "Pl-ease go away, please g-go aw-way…" he whined piteously, sobs escaping him. Ben was lost to everything. He felt suffocated within these four walls; he had to get out, but couldn't think of how right then.

No one was home. No one would be home for two more weeks. His parents had gone out on a cruise and Ben was left home alone. Whether or not it was a blessing for them to be gone, he didn't yet know. Still, part of him needed security and currently his room was far from it.

The bedside lamp that had been knocked onto its side rolled off the edge of the computer desk. The din it generated echoed loudly in the quiet room. Immediately Ben was on his feet. Hardly pausing to consider the origin of the noise, he bolted to his bedroom window, flicked the latch, and wrenched it open. The boy toppled out of the house hastily, scraping his knee on a twig in the process of falling and sprinted into the dusk-bathed streets…


	3. Nightmare

Kevin let a sigh escape him. He was drained—mentally and physically. So much was plunging to and fro in his mind…the migraine that had set in was hardly abetting. Admittedly, exhausted as he was, there was no denying the thick coating anxiety set within him. What's more, he found it hard to accept what Gwen had told him. How could he have called himself Ben's friend when he'd known _nothing_ of what had happened those six years ago? Granted, there had been a gap in time where the two were separated—the null void was certainly the heart of that party—but he'd prided himself in knowing the finer details of Ben's life.

The seventeen-year-old bit his lip, a tad creeped out over his fixations. Indeed, Kevin had very much obsessed over the undersized brunette for those many years, particularly out of embitterment and hoped revenge. The boy had gotten so close to him only to break apart his whole existence, all because of his overly developed sense of "justice". Bottled up as his resentment was, Kevin had made it his life's goal to exact revenge against Ben…but now, years later and perhaps even a bit more mature, Levin was able to look upon their history in a newer light.

Arrogant as ever, he'd never taken into account his own actions that had led to their confrontations and how his impulses may have spurred much of the incidences thereafter. He had to admit, he did have tendencies that went against the law more than often and Ben had a knack for playing hero when he wasn't pulling his idiotic pranks and the like. Sooner or later it was bound to have happened, Kevin and Ben's clashing that is. But he digressed.

Point established the raven had lacked insight on what had happened six years past when Eon had named Ben his prey. Mixed emotions lapped at him by this. Not only had he been abducted, injured and violated, but Ben was utterly ignorant to the entire event. There was apparently a hole in his memory, a yawning shock-induced fracture that had left Ben shedding tears he couldn't link a reason to. And if amnesia wasn't the worst of it, Ben was now suffering nightmares which were more than likely suppressed memories.

Not hours ago Ben had wandered off into the woods to a place he'd supposedly "dreamed up", accounting the familiarity of the setting but not really knowing what had compelled him to go there. Nausea pooled inside Kevin's stomach—that place…that clearing had to have been where Eon attacked the Plumbers to reclaim Ben. Gwen's tale replayed over and over again in his head; he pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal of his car, speeding down the neighborhood streets. That son-of-a-bitch had hunted Ben and Gwen down like animals, toying with their heads… He'd warped the brunette twofold until the boy _snapped_ between his fingers into a scarred mess of a child—a ten-year-old baby who's mind had hollowed out in hopes of maintaining some glimmer of sanity after it all…FUCK!

A figure lurched out into the middle of the darkened street, stumbled, then halted when the bright headlights touched it. Green eyes flashed like concentrated beacons and Kevin slammed on the brakes with both feet, yanking the steering wheel aside as his car resisted with screeching momentum. Just as the vehicle stilled the body collapsed out of sight. A moment of dread swallowed Levin as he burst out the car and dashed around it, praying to any god that he hadn't committed vehicular manslaughter.

Ragged breaths all but died when Kevin laid eyes on none other than Ben himself.

" _Ben?_ "

The brunette snapped his head in the direction of the older male, eyes wide and watered. Nothing was uttered from his trembling lips as he struggled to his feet on unstable limbs and lunged himself at Kevin.

Kevin was surely not anticipating the reaction; Ben threw his entire form against the osmosian and held on as though his life depended on it. His nails dug into the older boy's shirt and scraped the skin beneath. Ben buried his face into Kevin's chest causing him to take a step back.

"Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" The raven gripped the boy's shoulders, attempting to pry him off and assess the damage but Ben wasn't letting go, nor was he responding to the barrage of questions being thrown his way.

A muted sob silenced Kevin. Ben gasped before yet another sob parted his teeth. His hands released Kevin and he crumbled to his knees, head bowing into the pavement, hands pressed to his ears.

The ex-con kneeled beside the other, frustrated at his lack of understanding.

"You need to calm down and _talk_ to me, Tennyson!" he growled, reaching to touch his comrade.

Millimeters from contact, he faltered when Ben let loose a blood-curdling wail. Hands, slick with sweat and trembling, yanked at the brown locks of hair in a panicked frenzy; his whole body was vibrating, giving way to the hysteria.

Watching his best friend melt down was the final straw. Kevin didn't think twice as he grabbed the boy's forearm and jerked it upward; just as his body came upright with the pull Kevin's open hand cracked against his cheek, towing along his face with the force.

The abrupt pain of the slap brought with it his senses. Ben slowly turned to look at Kevin, hand cupping his reddening cheek. The tears that slipped down his face made no sound at all. The older teen simply stared back.

"…I'm…so scared, Kevin…" Ben muttered pathetically, seeking solace in Kevin's dark gaze.

Levin released a sigh through frowned lips. The account Gwen had imparted to him was unfolding far too accurately before him.

Kevin reached over and placed his hand atop the mop of brown hair, gently smoothing the mess before he proffered a comforting smile and said, "It's okay, Benji. I'm here now."

\--------------------

The bruises and scrapes littering his limbs slowly made their objections known and Ben groaned faintly in discomfort, more so with each unbidden tremble that vibrated through him. The adrenalin had thinned within him. He stared at the mug in his hand; strawberry lemonade, his preferred substitute when a smoothie was not accessible. Feeling suddenly unstable, he set the mug down on the coffee table before his trembling made him spill it.

"Did you drink the painkillers?"

Ben nodded at the older male's question and pushed his hands between his thighs to warm his fingers.

Kevin watched as the brunette subtly glanced around his modest living room as though within each shadow lurked something wicked; he was on edge, jumping at every sound, trembling from some unknown fear and feebly blinking away tears. His nose and cheeks were flushed, his eyes pink and puffy but wide. The boy was trying his very hardest it seemed to regain his composure. Not ten minutes ago was he a broken mess, sobs and tears pouring out of him in anguished streams, arms wrapped about himself in fright as he labored to recount his accident to Kevin—after much persuasion on the latter's part. Ben had never been one to find fright in his everyday life, despite his constant encounters with intergalactic criminals. All the same, in the stints where his enemies were involved, he always faltered when his friends would come to harm.

Obvious as it was that he was protective of his loved ones, it'd never really crossed Kevin's mind how deeply afraid Ben could be about his own life. Sure, anyone could assume some amount of self-preservation, but somehow the brunette seemed to fear losing himself in the processes of his day-to-day life. It wasn't something altogether physical, though. Actually, he doubted it had anything to do with that if his risky impulses had any say on the matter. The elder suspected Ben was more afraid of losing his sanity to it all than his own body…if that made any sense.

This train of thought labored at Kevin's preexisting headache. He stood. Ben's eyes immediately tracked his movements expectantly. The raven trudged over into his room for a moment, endeavoring to locate any article of clothing that wouldn't pool at the lithe boy's ankles. Vain as his attempt became and preceding the mayhem he'd created of his sleeping quarters, he nevertheless managed to locate a pair of shorts he'd never used, his smallest hoodie and some undergarments. On his way out, he dug his hands into what Ben had once dubbed his "mystery drawer". In all reality it was simply a junk drawer; that one drawer wherein random things are deposited for lack of a proper storing place. He slammed it shut after locating—with much effort—a few safety pins.

Velvet green eyes watched the strapping teen emerge from his room with a bundle of clothes.

"Here," Kevin declared, practically shoving the bundle into the other's arms. "You know where the bathroom is. Take a shower."

"Um, 'kay," was Ben's listless response, taking the safety pins his friend proffered him.

"That's the smallest stuff I got, so be grateful for my effort," Kevin said, inelegantly distant, as if his mind was elsewhere. "Towels are in the cabinets under the sink."

The brunette nodded and slowly walked past him, heading towards the only restroom in the vicinity.

Levin sighed and slumped on the couch, snagging the control from the coffee table and powering the T.V.. "This is so fucked up," he mumbled, looking but not actually acknowledging the moving images on the screen.

\--------------------

Ben turned the knob on the shower until the water ceased to fall, feeling a little lost at everything that had happened so far. He looked down, watching the thinning streams of liquid dribble down his legs, eventually finding end through the drain. The small, perforated sheet of steel that covered the drain hardly shielded Ben's eyes from the dark hole beneath. Seconds passed, and the longer his eyes stayed riveted on it, the more it seemed as though the hole was growing beneath him. Pulsing and magnifying in his vista, the darkness within the drain was a sealed room with a steel door and moldy walls with no hope of escape.

"Ah!" Ben's hand flew to his temple at the sharp pain he felt. Blindly, he reached for the shower curtain pulling it aside, only, he put forth too much pressure. Before he could react, the curtain ripped and he lost his balance, slipping on the wet floor and toppling over with the fabric still gripped in his hands. The ripping sound could not have been any louder and his body felt especially uncomfortable now, sprawled on the cold tile floor, his leg hitched up in a mess of shower curtain.

"Aw man…." he whined, covering his eyes with his hand.

\--------------------

" _So he's there? Is he alright?_ "

"Yeah, he just…I got…I invited him to stay over. Felt kinda bad for telling him off earlier." Kevin uncharacteristically bit his lip, switching his cell from one ear to the other.

" _You were worried, weren't you_." It was more of a statement than a query.

Dark eyes widened. "The hell I was! I told you, I f—"

" _You were worried_ ," Gwen's confident voice carried through the small speaker on the device. The other fell silent. " _I know you well enough. You don't make habit in apologizing for your rudeness, particularly to Ben_."

"You somehow manage to remind me daily why I don't like you."

" _As if I care anymore_ ," she refuted, then sighed. " _Okay, I'm done playing children with you; that's not why I called. Just…let me know if anything happens_."

"Mhmm, will do."

" _And please_ —"

"I'll take care of him, Gwen. Promise. We'll be in touch."

"… _Thanks_."

He pulled the phone away at the dial-tone and stuffed it in his pocket, wondering what the heck he was going to do. He felt suffocated almost. Some psychotic alien was after Ben, Gwen was resisting the obsessive urge to smother her cousin, and the brunette himself was a mess of nerves in his care. What was he supposed to do in this situation? It seemed like a relatively normal life was out of the question—relatively normal indicating their day-to-day lives before this whole Eon business. Was that even possible? Could they go back to being how they were or would they forever be different? And if that were the case, was it even a bad thing to change?

He supposed hanging with Ben all the time wouldn't be so bad. He cared for the vertically-challenged teen; he was Kevin's best friend. Lord knew he'd assure Ben's wellbeing to the best of his ability and as far as Gwen…

The dark-haired teen let himself lose it for a moment, gritting his teeth, pulling at his hair and releasing a frustrated growl. "So _fucked_ ," he grunted once more.

A sudden shredding sound from the restroom trailed by garish noise raised him to his feet. He sprinted over and roughly knocked on the door. "What the heck was that noise? Ben?"

"N-Nothing!" came the quick reply. Kevin could hear Ben scrambling around through the ingress.

"I swear to God, Tennyson, if you destroy my bathroom I'll end you."

A muted string of curses made it to the raven's ears and even more shifting. Knowing something had happened, he reached for the knob. Of course, the Omnitrix bearer had forgotten to lock it.

As the door swung open, Kevin was greeted with a bizarre sight. There Ben stood frozen, large eyes staring square at Kevin, one hand holding up a pair of boxers far too large for his hips, the other paused in the process of stuffing the torn shower curtain into one of the sink cabinets. The floor was soaked.

Kevin's voice came subdued and measured, "You shredded my shower curtain."

Ben flushed. "It was an accident! I was getting out and I slipped…"

"You're kidding me, right?" The anodite descendent had been in his house for a couple of hours and he'd already wrecked something. Kevin was starting to question his decision somewhat.

The other didn't respond quickly, his face red with embarrassment. He shifted slightly on his feet, looking pale in the inadequate bathroom lighting. "…I'm sorry…" Ben mumbled softly, staring at his feet.

Suddenly, Kevin felt like the biggest ass on the planet. No. He was the biggest ass on the planet. "Oh god…look, it's no biggie. It's just a curtain anyways."

Ben's face darkened even further. "I'm sorry about everything, Kevin. I don't know what's going on anymore." Beryl eyes shifted up at the older male. "Something's gotta be wrong with me."

"Tennyson, you're not—"

"Kevin, it's not just nightmares anymore, I'm hallucinating! …I get…I get so scared lately I don't even think to use the Omnitrix! Tell me that's not weird?" Ben's voice was rising, becoming frantic almost.

The osmosian stalked forward, clapping a hand down on the brunette's bony shoulders. "It's not weird, Tennyson!" Levin growled, exasperated. "When the hell did being afraid become something abnormal? It's called _being human_ , Ben. As much as you'd like to think you're above all that, you're not, so get a grip for once and accept that fact. It really pisses me off when you act like nothing bothers you, like you're not scared of losing someone you love or failing because I know you are!" His hand set more pressure on the boy's shoulders.

"I don't have that luxury, _Kevin Ethan Levin!_ " Ben screamed back, shoving the raven away. "If I fuck up, everyone else pays for it!"

Ben hardly anticipated the brick-like slap that sent him pitching sidelong. It was the second one that day. He looked back, cupping his cheek, eyes wide and slightly watered.

Kevin stared back, mixed emotions playing at his face. "Sometimes," he said, trying to keep his tone level, "I just want to smack some sense into you." The sixteen-year-old gave him an odd look. "If that's what you think, you better just take the Omnitrix off." Ben failed to cognize why Kevin would say something like that, or where he was going with it. He straightened up, his hurt at the words exhibited despite himself.

The ex-con exhaled crossly. "Geeze, Gwen's way better at this…" he muttered. Evidently, the elder teen wasn't as decent with words as he'd imagined himself. Getting his point across _and_ spare Ben's feelings at the same time? Impossible. It had to be some classified art-form only girls were proficient at. And being mawkish and decorous? Not his cup of tea.

But he had to do something. So far, he'd prospered only in driving Ben further and further away, making the already distraught teen even more so. He really was an ass.

"I'm no good at this," he tried, seeing his friend on the defensive. "It's not my thing to be all mushy an' crap, so gimme a sec to figure this out…just…listen, you have an unhealthy attitude about this hero business."

"I don't think so. It's called a realistic outlook," Ben said hotly.

"You're a dumbass if you think that won't backfire on you. Take a look in the mirror! You're self-destructing!" the osmosian bit back, once again losing his cool in spite of himself.

"You know what's been happening, Kevin."

Levin threw a hand out. "Well duh! But somehow you're turning this all on yourself, as if you're inadequate or something. Give yourself more credit." Ben tried to argue but was cut off. "Learn to distinguish one problem from the other, Tennyson. There're actually people in the world that give a damn about you."

Chartreuse irises stared dumbly as the bathroom door was unexpectedly closed, shutting him off with only his reflection on the misted wall mirror.


	4. Memories

He hadn't bothered to dry his hair.

The pillow beneath him was damp; a droplet of water trickled from a lock of hair onto his nose, soon to slip past and off his jaw, causing him to stir somewhat. Ben let out a muffled noise, shifting his head around and pressing his cheek into the pillow, hands tucked underneath. He was in a state of fence: in both slumber and consciousness; borderline equally. Part of him was mildly aware of the couch beneath him, the dull sound of the air conditioning filtering through the vent just above him and the low snores stemming from Kevin's bedroom down the hall. His other half was consumed by a flurry of lights and visions in the waters of slumber.

A whine peeled from his lips.

…

…

_The footfalls were lurid, vacillating and strained. He was running through a murky forest, eyes fixated on the hand securing his own. He could hear his own shallow inhalations as he was towed swiftly along, through brush and root, round trunks and thorns. The sense of urgency was absurd, as though it was a life or death flight, but the rhizomes behind it escaped him._

_His shuddering vista crept upwards and a mild shock graced him to see that Gwen was the one gripping onto his hand, running before him. Bewilderment swathed him._

_Gwen…she was different. Her red hair was short and her body was slim and underdeveloped, board-straight. Why did she look so young? She resembled the ten-year-old Gwen more than anything._

_What's more, he realized that, despite the strange age difference, he wasn't looking down at her; he was actually looking level._

_Gwen looked tense. Her head constantly whipped around, calculating each step, each route. She'd suddenly jerk his arm one way or the other and Ben found himself unable to hold the gait._

_His foot snagged on something. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground_ …

…

…

Ben's eyes opened as easily as though he had only blinked. Blearily, he stared at the coffee table before him where his drink cup stood abandoned, a tiny ring of condensation bordering its base.

The soft brush of air conditioning danced over pale, exposed skin eliciting a shiver. He pulled the hood of his sweater over his wet hair.

Surprise was nonexistent at the time displayed on the cable box below the flat-screen television.

4:59 AM.

Yet another night.

Was it realistic to think he'd attain sufficient sleep even once?

At least, he thought, his nocturnal visions this time had been mild, however odd and lacking sense they were. Dread was the only emotion sewn into the memories of the horrible nightmares he'd endured other nights. Persistent as the influenza, they whispered in the shadows all around him, bequeathing no prospect of reprieve from gluttonous boughs of sin.

Bare feet found the cool floor and linens plunged off the couch as he stood. Fatigued as he was, his feet took life of their own and, when finally he procured full note of his whereabouts, he learnt himself outside Kevin's bedroom. The door was slightly ajar. There seemed a potent lure to enter. His whole body sought to shake the forlorn sensation devouring him at that moment, but did that justify his want to be near someone at such a time? Was he overstepping unseen boundaries?

Why…? Why had he dreamt of Gwen and himself six years into the past? Any relevance to the vivid illusion escaped his comprehension. And, somehow, part of him felt obliged to suppress any hint of it…

Proceeding several minutes of hesitation, Ben gingerly spanned the ingress, quivering fingers pressing against the wood of the door to allow him entrance. His feet padded lightly on the floor, taking him to the edge of the older male's bed.

Fretful hues stared down at the other; emotions colliding behind each iris. His hands found his chest, gripping the fabric of the hoodie lent to him and, with a quiet sob, he sank to his knees, forehead resting against the edge of the mattress.

"I don't want to fight with you," Ben whispered, fat tears teeming from his grieved eyes. "I hate fighting with you." _I'm sorry_. He shook his head a little, hands lifting to obscure his mawkish face, trying to control the inadvertent sounds from his cries. "Please…don't be mad with me…"

 _You're my best friend_ …

\--------------------

"Hey…Julie?" Gwen started, staring dully as the Asian girl tried on a new pair of tennis shoes.

"Hm?"

"Why did you decide to break up with Ben?" The other girl let out a brief cry of surprise, face flushing. "Did I say something wrong?"

Julie chuckled blithely, shaking her head and took a seat next to the ginger. _So direct_ … "No, no. It just took me by surprise, really." She smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek.

"I know," Gwen remarked somewhat abashed, "but it was just so…"

"Sudden?" Julie offered, earning a nod. The athlete's grin stretched wider. "…Does this somehow relate to you and Kevin?"

It was Gwen's turn to blush. She shook her head aggressively, remarking, "No! Absolutely not."

"Oh?"

"It's just…you and Ben seemed good for each other. I mean, yeah, Ben can be an egoistic idiot most of the time, but the both of you somehow managed to make it through so much…What happened?"

In all honesty, Gwen had thought that the relationship between Julie and Ben marked a new chapter in the boy's life. She'd hoped it would ground him a little and give him something else to focus on outside the hero business. But when Julie pointedly ended their romantic affiliation, Gwen was left wondering what went wrong.

Dark hair bounced lightly as Julie leaned back on her hands, chocolate eyes looking slightly hazy, distant. Her smile did not falter, nor did it reach her eyes. "It wasn't meant to be is all."

The anodite frowned. What kind of vague, uninformative answer was that? Just as she was about to voice her thoughts, Julie cut her off.

"How well do you know your cousin, Gwen?"

She was mildly stunned Julie would ask such a thing. How could she not know him? They'd been together for a large part of their lives. He was her dorky, inane, stick-of-a-cousin with a hero complex—in sum. Of course, she knew about a number of his more personal and psychological involvements as well; that alone had her on edge many a time. Inclusive of all that, she felt relatively confident in her knowledge. "I'd say very well."

"Is that so?" came the innocent rebuttal.

Gwen's frown deepened, not seeing where this was heading. "Okay, _so_ not in the mood for jokes," she complained, becoming mildly peeved.

"Haha, sorry," Julie chuckled, looking apologetic. It was weird for her to behave like this. The Asian girl was typically direct and bluntly opinionated, but at the present she seemed to dance around the topic as though a straight answer was a betrayal to some secret.

"So? Are you going to tell me why you left him?" Gwen was being pushy today.

A sigh parted the tennis player's lips. "Ben didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I actually think it was me." Green eyes watched, puzzled. "I don't doubt that he cared about me; he very much did, in fact. The only problem was…he could only ever love me like he would a sister or a cousin."

 _What?! What is Julie talking about?_ The anodite mused, brows merging in her lack of understanding. "Julie, I don't—"

"It's okay. I should have realized it from the start. What I would want from him…he wouldn't be able to give me." Julie reached down, undid the laces from her sneakers and tugged them off, setting them in their proper box. "The best part," she continued, seeming sarcastic with the intro, "is that he isn't even aware of it. He can't love me like I loved him. So, I broke up with him." She paused, thinking a moment before turning her cat eyes on Gwen with an afterthought, "How bad did he take it…?"

Green eyes shifted. "He cried for almost two weeks straight. Withdrew from everyone for another three."

"I see." Julie looked pained. She'd never wanted to hurt Ben, but she figured the situation would only worsen if she'd stayed with him longer. "Is…he better now?"

Gwen pushed herself off the bench, looking down at her friend with a small, reassuring smile. "Still a bit upset over it, but nothing too serious." _He always tries to be so strong_. "He still cares for you…"

Julie nodded slowly, processing what the other had said.

"I still don't know exactly why you left him, Julie," Gwen continued. "All you've told me is that he couldn't love you as much as you wanted. What's that supposed to mean?"

A sudden smile pulled at the athlete's face. She stood and placed a hand on the older girl's shoulder. "You'll find out eventually." With that, she walked off to the clerk with her new tennis shoes in hand.

\--------------------

"Morning, Kev!" came the chirpy greeting as the teen languidly meandered into his kitchen in search for something to eat.

At first, he simply ignored the call of his name. Perhaps if he pretended not to hear, the other would get the hint that mornings were not his thing and quietly turn his attention back to the television screen. It seemed like a decent plan of action until he curved away from the fridge and nearly slammed into the very thing he was hoping to avoid: Ben.

The brunette tilted his head, a lazy smirk resting on his lips.

Kevin looked horrified. _Dear God…I think he wants to talk to me_ …

Ben reacted to the look. "What's your deal?"

Levin remained still, a carton of eggs gripped in his hands, sleep-dusted mind still trying to process the idea that people could actually converse with one another in the morning hours. Sure, he could communicate adequately before noon, but typically that was after he'd had breakfast, showered, had a small morning workout and performed his routine check on his car. Seeing as none had yet to occur and he hadn't slept very much—or _well_ —the night before, he was much less capable of rotating into full wakefulness.

"Too…early," he deadpanned, circumnavigating the younger teen and setting the carton of eggs next to the stove. His movements were almost robotic, lacking any mental effort it seemed as he prepared his breakfast. All the while, wide green orbs trailed his every move. Eventually, Kevin reached his limit and turned his shoulders to face the other, a brow rising in question. "Can I help you?" A quick shake of the head served as his reply. Kevin snorted. "Then would ya' mind elaborating on _why_ you keep lookin' at me like I grew two heads?"

Ben went a little red. "Um, about…about yesterday—"

Kevin waved a dismissive hand, cutting him mid-sentence. "Water under the bridge, Benji."

"But…I'm really so—"

"I said don't worry about it," the osmosian huffed, irate. "We both lost our cool and had a bitch fit. No biggie." Ben couldn't help the small, demure smile forming on his lips.

"Want scrambled eggs?" The brunette shook his head, even though Levin's back was to him, trying to contain the wave of emotions he felt. Kevin wasn't mad at him. The childish relief he held at that paltry fact made him squirm. He wasn't mad!

The seventeen-year-old nearly spilled his breakfast when Ben leapt onto the counter adjoining the stovetop, twisting his body until he sat happily looking down at the ex-con, feet kicking lightly against the cabinets below. "Smoothie?" the boy proffered, smile domineering his entire face, eyes sparkling blissfully.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"Nope!" Ben sang, producing a set of keys and jingling them before Kevin's face. "It's the breakfast of champions!"

\--------------------

Gwen checked her phone yet again, green eyes seeking any indication of outside contact. Kevin hadn't called—or texted for that matter! Granted, according to their previous agreement, the fact that he hadn't called indicated that nothing ill had developed for Ben…but that didn't mean he had to be such a guy and not keep her posted on her cousin's wellbeing!

A hand suddenly snapped her phone shut. She looked up instantly into Julie's annoyed scowl. "Why'd you do that?" she questioned, mildly peeved herself at the other's brashness.

Julie gave her a look. "You've been obsessing over that thing all morning. What's the deal?"

Gwen sighed, pushing her phone into her back pocket. "Sorry…just worried about Ben."

At this, the Asian perked up, almond eyes looking alert. "Worried? Why? Is something wrong?"

The anodite felt her heart chill. "Uh—n-no! It's just…he, well, I haven't talked to him…in a while…" she faked lamely, feeling thoughtless for slipping up.

Clearly, Julie was not convinced. "You're a really bad liar, you know? Almost as bad as Ben."

The two girls stared down for a moment, sizing the other up before Julie let slip a giggle.

"You know," she continued sweetly, brushing aside a lock of black hair, "in the end, I'll find out whatever it is you're hiding, Gwen."

The other frowned at the statement, turning away and proceeded to make her way to the entrance of the Mr. Smoothie they'd walked to, leaving Julie to stare at her back. The last thing she needed was Julie prying into things that didn't concern her.

She looked around as she crossed the threshold of the establishment. It wasn't very busy right then, just a few people here and there, so it didn't take her long to ascertain that what she sought was not present.

The tennis player walked in a minute later, watching her friend as she approached. "Guess he's not here?"

"No," Gwen sighed, following Julie back out to sit at one of the picnic tables outside. "I thought he might come by, seeing as he practically lives here."

Chocolate eyes slid past the anodite, catching a glimpse of Kevin's car rolling up. Speak of the devil… She smiled then, gaze refocusing on the other female, leaning forward onto the table, tilting her head and resting her cheek on her palm. "I don't know," she mused lazily, "perhaps if we wait long enough, they might just pop out of nowhere." She received a strange look from the other, but only smiled wider as the girl fretfully glanced at her phone, apparently thinking she was being discreet about it.

Julie suddenly felt a thrill fly up her chest. How long had it been since she last saw Ben? Her lip twitched, feeling strained with the smile; a cold, empty feeling swathed her at the realization: she hadn't seen or spoken with him since she dumped him four months prior…

It took outstanding effort to not let the unexpected turmoil show on her face, her straight-cut bangs concealing her slightly creased brow, which betrayed her. An abrupt urge to leave nearly lifted her from her seat, but she lamented. However uncouth of her to completely shut Ben out without apt clarification, she'd felt it necessary to make the clean cut; it allowed her to come to terms with her judgment and him time to heal.

Now, with a deep breath to calm her nerves and a renewal of her smile, she knew enough time had passed. She could handle this. She could keep her cool and be civil to her past love. And even though her heart thrummed in her breast as the doors to the car opened, she fortified her resolve.

Ben's form popped out of the car in a flurry and gazed happily at the establishment, not yet seeing Julie and Gwen. He looked a tad bit thinner than she remembered and his hair had grown an inch or so, looking more windblown, unkempt, giving him an even younger look. His green eyes were just as large and fetching as when they were when she first met him and the tiniest twinge of want flickered in her heart…but it just wasn't meant to be…

"What are you looking at, Julie…?" Gwen asked, finally looking up from her phone and following the tennis player's gaze. The anodite gasped upon seeing the two teens approaching Mr. Smoothie and shot out of her seat. "Ben!" she shouted, catching the attention of the two and swiftly rushing over to embrace her cousin.

Ben smiled happily at his cousin and reciprocated the hug, greeting her with a simple, "Hey, Gwen."

The redhead exchanged a look with Kevin, Julie noticed, before asking Ben how he was fairing and doting on him.

While the two cousins spoke, Kevin's gaze slid over and caught sight of Julie, who had made her way over and stood quietly several feet away. He immediately frowned and shot her a glare, to which Julie smiled awkwardly at and looked at her shoes. Of course he would be mad at her too.

"The hell are you doin' here?" he growled, feeling no need to hide his anger; the tennis player winced.

"Kevin!" Gwen cut in, offended at his blatant rudeness.

"What's going on?" came the curious voice as Ben leaned around his cousin to look. Julie felt herself flush with a cacophony of emotions as the Omnitrix bearer made eye contact with her…But the color drained from his face instantly, his lips stirring slightly as he whispered breathlessly, "Julie…"

The raven-haired female smiled sheepishly. "Hi there, Ben. It's been a while, huh?" she spoke softly, stepping forward.

Ben inadvertently flinched back when she moved closer, but was able to face her once more in a civil manner. He took a breath to calm his mind and body and replied nervously. "Y-yeah…" He bit his lip. "How, um, how have you been?"

Guilt swathed her in waves. He was struggling to speak with her, still obviously awkward and disturbed by her presence. He was such a sweet boy, trying so hard to be normal about it despite her dumping him all of a sudden with only a vague reason.

"I've been…fine. Thank you," she replied softly, watching as he brought trembling hands across one another to cling to his triceps, as though he felt cold, and shifted his eyes away. He clearly had not made a full recovery…

And suddenly Ben turned on his heel, breathlessly expressing his want for a smoothie before taking off toward the building and away from his friends, looking sick, as though he would pass out at any given moment.


End file.
